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how to prepare a new bed - Cardboard or not ?

selinasallyselinasally Posts: 166
in Problem solving
So, I am digging some temporary new beds ( as next year I hope to convince hubby to let me redesign the whole thing)  into my lawn and thought it would be easier to use the electric rotavator to remove the grass- weeds and mainly moss- it churned everything up but by no way is it all clean . I want to plant some things before the end of April do I :

1) keep digging and hand pulling out all the tiny weeds every few days and breaking my back    or ....

2) Can I cover it with cardboard and then plonk some new soil /compost on top ( I saw this on some gardening program) and water and then start planting ?


sorry can't get pics the right way round 




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Posts

  • d.hitchcock01d.hitchcock01 Posts: 1
    For sure, the latter.  Newspapers laid thickly will also serve the same purpose.
  • Captain_ChaosCaptain_Chaos Posts: 60
    I think I saw the same program you mention. They put cardboard down then watered it before covering in soil.  :)
    Growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional.
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I think you are supposed to wait until the weeds are dead and the cardboard is rotted under the compost before you plant. It would be very difficult to have to cut through the cardboard to dig the holes. That is what I've done for a bed I will plant next year.

    I think the weeds should have been dug out before rotovating. If there are perennial weeds the rotavator will chop up the roots and they will re-grow. I would just get down on my knees with a trowel and remove all the weeds, hard work but you get results. I've just done that to a very neglected, covered with weeds and huge dandelions in my new garden, 11m x 7m. Then you can plant. You can mulch it all afterwards to keep moisture in and weeds down.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • nick615nick615 Posts: 1,487
    Just a thought, selinasally , but, from what looks like the shape of the plot involved, a length of roofing felt might suit?  Pic attached. 
  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 635
    This looks like a classic situation where a no dig approach would work well - I'd recommend watching one or two of Charles Dowding's videos to get you started...

  • padmeisterpadmeister Posts: 24
    I think you'd need to water the cardboard really well then keep the bed damp through any dry spells.  My experience with mulching over cardboard wasn't that brilliant. I found the mulch was easily scraped away by birds and small animals searching for worms and bugs. Dry compost or bark just blew off the smooth surface of the cardboard in a strong wind but a deep and damp layer like you're suggesting would probably work better.
  • selinasallyselinasally Posts: 166
    stephentame said:
    This looks like a classic situation where a no dig approach would work well - I'd recommend watching one or two of Charles Dowding's videos to get you started...

    so this is where I got the idea from and I watched some vids yesterday and he does just that - cardboard,soil, planting ....
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Joe Swift helped the lady who gardens with her feet to do just that on GW recently - cleared bed, wetted cardboard on top, then a thick layer of compost and planted straight away. I think it would help if you could contain the lot with some sides, like a raised bed, even if only temporary.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • selinasallyselinasally Posts: 166
    Nollie said:
    Joe Swift helped the lady who gardens with her feet to do just that on GW recently - cleared bed, wetted cardboard on top, then a thick layer of compost and planted straight away. I think it would help if you could contain the lot with some sides, like a raised bed, even if only temporary.
    That is right that is where I saw it - I have some raised beds so can use them and also have some spare paving slabs that have been burning whole down the side of the house which I hope to hold the cardboard down and line the raised beds with 
  • Captain_ChaosCaptain_Chaos Posts: 60
    Nollie said:
    Joe Swift helped the lady who gardens with her feet to do just that on GW recently - cleared bed, wetted cardboard on top, then a thick layer of compost and planted straight away. I think it would help if you could contain the lot with some sides, like a raised bed, even if only temporary.
    That's where I saw it. I couldn't remember.  Damn clever lady!
    Growing old is mandatory but growing up is optional.
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